I hate to start a review by saying tough
cookies but there's no way around it. The cartridge under review here—a genuine piece of budget exotica—used to sell for under $200 through
some popular mail-order retailers. Not anymore. Audio-Technica finally
wised up, lowering the MSRP from $599 to $499 but apparently increasing
the minimum allowable sale price.

Which begs the question, how in the name of
Crazy Eddie did it get discounted so deeply in the first place? I can
picture a bunch of U.S. product managers discussing it back in the
'digital ready' 90s: "Alright, next on the agenda: model number
AT-OC9ML." "What the hell is that?" "Says 'phono cartridge' here on the
data sheet. Some outfit claims they can sell a ton of these at $200 a
pop." "Whatever, ship 'em. Is it time for lunch?"

In any event, if you want one today you'll
have to pony up close to full freight. The good news—sorry for taking
so long to get around to it—is that the OC9 is still a good value
today, perhaps best in class.

There's a reason why it's often partnered
with turntables and arms costing many times the price. The OC9 is
technically outstanding by purely objective standards and can pair
confidently with the Avids and SMEs of the world. Channel separation is
in the same league as Sound-Smith's Carmen (reviewed
here) and
that's saying something. Internally, PCOCC wire (Pure Copper by Ohno
Continuous Casting) goes straight to the output terminals. It tracks
like it's on rails, virtually unshakably, and at only 1.5 grams as
tested. To the naked eye, its boron cantilever isn't much thicker than
an eyelash and, fitted with AT's trademarked MicroLine nude elliptical
stylus, yanks detail from every record groove with extreme tenacity.
This cartridge is truly game.

Being a low-output moving coil with a fine
stylus, it requires extra care in terms of setup and partnering
equipment. At 0.4mv, just about any moving coil preamp will have
sufficient gain, but it wouldn't hurt to have variable loading, and that
may end up costing you more than the cartridge itself. In my experience,
no phono stage at or under its price fully does it justice.

I tried it with an old Audio Research PH1
and some vintage Signet step up transformers and the result was
super-detailed but too lean, bordering on aggressive. However, run
directly into a Pro-Ject Tube Box SE with some extra quiet glass, the
result was a luxurious, airy and undeniably analog soundscape drawn with
an ultra fine-point pen (albeit with some residual tube noise).

It doesn't like light or junky tonearms, so
folks with most entry-level turntables are out of luck. (I tried one on
a Music Hall MMF-2 years ago out of morbid curiosity. Not good.) That
said, you don't necessarily need an expensive partner to make it
work, just a good one like the Jelco SA-250 on the sadly departed Avid
Diva II turntable (reviewed
here). On the Technics SL-1200Mk2,
which some describe as having a dark-toned, closed-in character, the OC9
conspired to achieve excellent balance. (KAB's fluid damper and Sumiko's
HS-12 headshell are must haves if you're using the standard arm.) It
certainly wouldn't be unwise to suggest the OC9 as a good solution for
any analog front end that's too staid.

Vladimir Ashkenazy's Chopin: Paino WorksVol. XI (London 410 258-1) held me in thrall as the OC9 banged
out every detail with dramatic precision. Transient performance was
captivating, each note emerging from deep silence. On Dire
Straits' Making Movies (Warner BSK 3480) I picked up some of Mark
Knopfler's subtle vocal shadings for the first time since owning much
more expensive cartridges like the Denon DL-S1. The OC9 made me miss
those good old days of big bonuses, but then I'd get lost in the music
again.

It has been accused of being bright, though
I wouldn't go that far. Unquestionably, it resolves with exceptional
clarity for this price class. Perhaps because it lacks a similarly
priced moving magnet's tendency toward a fatter bass and more forward
midrange, the high frequencies can seem spotlighted by comparison. At
the very tippy top, there is some glare to remind you you're still on
the budget end of the scale. Tracked too lightly or set up haphazardly,
it can sound raspy too, though those are the only obvious derivations
from top-to-bottom coherence.

About the only real caveat I have applies to
virtually all low-output moving coils: Is their crystal clarity and
airiness musically truthful? You may care. I'm not sure I do. To my
ears, they sound right and are missing a murky layer of something
that I hear from moving magnets. Maybe all that air and space is an
illusion. Again, I'll take it. When I go to a concert, there are tens of
thousands of cubic feet of air and space around me; significantly less
in the spare bedroom where my system resides. I guess don't mind a
cartridge that lies a little. Then again, I wouldn't ask a pretty
waitress to stop flirting with me either. After all, maybe she really
does think graying hair and pleated dress slacks are sexy.

A third-generation version just hitting
retailers now, the AT-OC9/III, is said to offer multiple improvements
(or manufacturing efficiencies passed off as such) at an even higher
price of $799. I'll try and get my hands on a review sample to see if
it's worth the extra $300. A company rep told me the version in question
here isn't going away, and that's good news.

Audio-Technica's AT-OC9ML/II isn't
bargain-basement exotica anymore but it's a great buy compared to some
of today's megabuck cartridges. If clear, airy, stop-on-a-dime
resolution and solid coherence is the sound you're after, you'll likely
regard it as money well spent. Even better, this is a cartridge that can
survive arm and phono stage upgrades making it a good long-term
investment. Ed Kobesky